Living in the Shadow of Alzheimer's

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This blog is about life with my husband who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's and Frontal Lobe Dementia in 2008. He was 64 at the time although now, knowing more about the disease, Alzheimer's was present many, many years ago, which is why early detection is so important. As you read the blog the character"Al" that I created in 2008 represents the way that Alzheimer's is invading our daily lives.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Sheri needs to admit that the "the boys" are not as zombie like as she expected. You can see they are drugged, and hazy eyed, but "they are still some what mobile and verbal. Obviously not sensibly verbal... but there is still some life in "them". Sheri thinks the care the doctor took in adjusting his meds is what has prevented total zombie-ism (is that a word?) Sheri would encourage everyone to watch the videos she shared the link to a couple of days ago, and make sure the doctor treating your loved one has the same dedication to preserving as much function as possible. She knows this is short lived but she will take it.
Sheri is going to pause , praise and pray.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Sheri learned a lot about the Geri Psych unit these last two weeks. Sheri things everyone dealing with this should watch the videos this hospital has produced. Follow the link and scroll down the page to the family video section at the lower right.Ridgeview Medical Geriatric mental health
Although for Sheri the information itself was not new, the way it was presented was very helpful.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Sheri is happy to say "the boys" are back home at the facility as of yesterday. Sheri is hopeful things will stay stable. Unfortunately, Sheri is not quite as stable, she fell on the ice and has a shoulder separation...heavy sigh, but on the bright side she is grateful someone else is caring for "the boys" right now. See always a silver lining :)

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Sheri woke up this morning realizing that even though she has been involved with this disease for so very many years, and she has read and tried everything she can to stay educated, the reality is that the ugly word "denial" has managed to make its way to the forefront. She and the girls still believe that "if someone would just..., or if his hands were busy with ..." (We ladies are problem solvers.) The problem with that gift is that Alzheimer's is not a problem they can solve. It is a progressive, terminal disease. Sheri knows she and girls have done everything reasonably possible to keep Bob and "Al" safe and cognitively present. As with all diseases she is going to have to turn this over to God . One day at a time is all we are promised.
Sheri's heart hurts.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

This slow death known as Alzheimer's is pure evil. "Al's" aggressive behaviors forced Bob to be sent to the Geriatric Mental Health ward at the hospital yesterday. Where he will spend at least the next 2 weeks and where he will no doubt be medicated into a catatonic state. That may be a hard statement to hear but it is just a fact.
Sheri has no strength today to pause, praise and pray.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Well it is January again. Sheri does not make resolutions. Not that there aren't things she needs to change about herself, there are ... but Webster defines a resolution in two ways
1. A firm decision to do or not to do something.2. The action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.

Neither of these seem attainable right now, maybe next year. Sheri needs to pause, praise and pray.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Sheri is realizing just how deep she has been stuffing her emotions for so many years, it was a protective skin that allowed her to continue to face each day. She knows that sounds a little weird, but she has been in what she refers to has "survival mode" for over ten years, and almost a year after Bob's placement the dam seems to be bursting ... daily. Excepting Bob's recent aggressive behavior and the major slide he is in from afar, and knowing she can not fix this is finally becoming real to her. Thanks to praying friends and those walking with her, she is still hanging on by a thread and often can not write her feelings away. Sheri knows she has a purpose in this life, God is carrying her through this part of her journey, because she is definitely to weak to walk.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Sheri is facing new challenges everyday, both on a personal level coping with the changes in Bob and the behavioral issues with "Al". She is trying hard to get outside herself, to care about others and their challenges because she looks around and sees a world of pain, this is just her journey and we all have one.
Sheri is going to continue to pause , praise and pray.